Australian Supercars racer Brodie Kostecki to make NASCAR Cup debut for Richard Childress Racing
Another Australian Supercars racer will be making an appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. Brodie Kostecki will make his debut for Richard Childress Racing when the circuit heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Verizon 200 on Aug. 13.
“I am thrilled to be making my NASCAR Cup debut at the Brickyard,” said Kostecki, per Racer.com. “It’s an honor to compete at such an iconic venue and against some of the biggest names in motorsport. I’m incredibly grateful to RCR for giving me this opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it.”
This will be Kostecki’s debut in the NASCAR Cup Series. In 2013 and 2014, he made some appearances in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
Kostecki will drive RCR’s No. 33 Camaro for the event in Indianapolis.
“Brodie Kostecki is a young, promising driver and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do in the No. 33 MobileX Chevrolet with Richard Childress Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course,” said Richard Childress, CEO of RCR. “Brodie’s background in the V8 Supercar Championship will suit him well in NASCAR Cup Series racing, especially on Indy’s road course configuration.”
The announcement of Kostecki driving for Richard Childress Racing comes a few weeks after fellow Australian Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen shocked the NASCAR world.
Van Gisbergen claimed the checkered flag in the inaugural Chicago Street Race, which was also his Cup Series debut.
Historically, IMS has been home to the Brickyard 400, one of the longer tracks on the NASCAR circuit. However, the league has transitioned the race into a 14-turn road course. It should be interesting to see how Kostecki handles the challenge.
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From Australian Supercars to NASCAR Cup Series?
If Kostecki performs well in the Verizon 200 in August, perhaps he’ll get as much of an opportunity to race in the NASCAR Cup Series in the future as van Gisbergen.
After winning the Grand Park 220 in Chicago, there’s been plenty of momentum about van Gisbergen driving in the NASCAR Cup Series moving forward. It’s something he’s seriously considering, too.
“I’m doing one more year in [Australia], and then I’d love to come over here,” he said.
The driver also received approval from his racing team.
“He’s only contractually bound to us for next year,” Triple Eight Race Engineering team principal Jamie Whincup told Fox Sports News. “Of course I’m trying to run the business as well as I possibly can and I need the best drivers, but if any driver, engineer, employee came to me and said, ‘Hey, my dream is to go to the other side of the world and do something else’, I’m not going to stand in their way.
“I want to open up opportunities for all my staff. No doubt we’re going to have some discussions in the next month or so and work out what he wants to do. He’s certainly got my praise whatever he wants to do, and we’re going to support him all the way.”